Welfare reform research commonly relies on multi-year state and national evaluations and surveys, leaving city officials and practitioners hungry for data on the immediate impact of policy and economic changes on their inner-city neighborhoods. This study describes the Milwaukee neighborhood indicators project, which uses a variety of geographically specific data sources from state, county, and city agencies to provide a more timely set of indicators on the economic health of Milwaukee families and neighborhoods. The research model described in this paper can be replicated in cities across the country.
